Pressing In…Deeper, More Mad, and More Empty

It’s Day 9 of my first 40 day fast. It really feels like it should be Day 10. Maybe I missed a day somewhere? Anyway, this fast I immediately made the decision that I would only eat what I could get through a straw… a liquid fast of sorts. Now, I know this sounds silly, but fasting is really about denying yourself and being hungry. And I am thoroughly denied and absolutely famished. Right now, I am eating squash soup with enough melted cheese and sour cream to almost be cheating… almost.

I have already begun to have an awakening to the deeper parts of God, my trust in Him has grown, and I have had a unique surprise revelation of the emotions of God. Today as I was reading Isaiah 54, it was amazing how God’s voice and emotion jumped out of the Bible at me. During my worship time yesterday and while I was running, I could feel the presence of the Spirit of God resting on my back and shoulders. That familiar slightly cold, slightly warm tingle–something like goose bumps but warm. As He speaks to me, I feel a brush of wind along my neck and hairline, but there is no wind. As I was praying in my kitchen last night, I had a vision of Jesus–all brightness around Him and eyes of fire and embers and wind, wind all around Him, arms outstretched towards me. It stole my breath, and the presence of God overtook me. Did I realize what I was asking when I asked for a deeper revelation?

With a deeper revelation, comes a deeper longing.

With every new revelation of God, your spiritual “vessel” is made larger. Your Spirit will crave more of God, more of His presence, more revelation of Him. If you do not fill it with God, the Enemy will have more of a chance to tempt you because you will be hungrier. Ever gone to the grocery store STARVING. Big mistake. Same principle. You will not be able to satisfy this hunger with a mediocre prayer life, or the vast hunger will lead you to stumble because of our Enemy who prowls like a lion waiting for the moment that you are not satisfied in God.

Madness

God is an all-consuming fire. As you dare to press in, dare to pray for more revelation, and as He grants it, do not doubt that you will be consumed. He will be all that you can talk about. All you can think about. This is madness to the world. But worldly-mindedness is enmity to God. Worldly-minded does not have to do with sin. It has to do with your perspective. The wordly-perspective says “I Can. What will bring glory to me? (Make others think I am good)” The Godly-mind says “He Can through me. What will bring glory to God?” God requires complete dependence, trust, and reliance upon Him. What will happen when God tells you to sell your house and give it to the poor? How will the world look at this? What about when you tell them that God speaks to you, period? What will they think of you then? You may lose their respect, and the world may think you mad.

Pressing In

Opening the eyes of your understanding as Paul said in Ephesians means that your spiritual eyes are opened, being led by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, in prayer with the Spirit at all times. This is how you walk with deeper revelation of God. The world will be curious about you, drawn to you even, because your thoughts (ways of thinking) will not be their thoughts because as you are consumed, your mind is being molded into the mind of Christ–the mind of God ( Isaiah 55:8, 1 Cor 2). The mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man (1Cor 2:5-6). It doesn’t make sense. This is why the world will reject you. But blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake.

“I have come to start a fire on this earth. How I wish it were burning right now!” –Jesus

The hour is here. It’s at hand. Jesus does not wish for you to be luke warm; He wants you to be CONSUMED– madly in love, and deeply intimate (knowing the deep things and emotions of God) with Him. Pressing into the fire means stepping into the eternal blaze. This will kill you. He called you to die, so that you might live. As you live in this consumed, crazy, intimate, deep state, you will experience the great joys of God. You will experience what are the heights, the depths, and the lengths, and the widths of His love. Ever been in love? This is better….. It’s sooooo much better. Give it all. He wants all of You. Press In.